PHILLIES FILES: This could be the last 10 games this group is together

July 05, 2013|By Mandy Housenick, Of The Morning Call

PHILADELPHIA — Ruben Amaro Jr. insists he's not yet determined if his team is going to be buyers or sellers. This homestand stands to be the difference maker.

"It could be. It could be," the general manager admitted. "I hope we're adding to this club than subtracting. That's the goal, but as I always say and I've been saying the same thing, the players will dictate it."

The Phillies play their next 10 games at Citizens Bank Park against the NL East-leading Braves, second-place Nationals and White Sox, which takes them right up to the All-Star Break. They enter Friday's game 8.5 games in back of Atlanta and 6.0 games behind Washington.

Of the Phillies' next 19 games (July 5-28), 13 of them are against teams with winning records, which will only making their path to be buyers tougher.

Amaro said that he's not only fielding phone calls, but he's busy making them, too, to inquiry about players.

"We've had a lot of discussions in the last three or four days," he said. "As you can imagine, we have a lot of interest in some really good players we have on our team."

He added that there are no untouchables on the current 25-man roster.

"Some guys are a lot less touchable than others, but we'll keep our eyes open, our ears open," he said.

Even when it comes to Chase Utley, who stands to be a free agent at the end of the year?

"Really tough [to trade him]," Amaro said. "Again, I see him as a Phillie for life, but I'm not the most stubborn human being on the planet."

DON'T READ INTO THESE DECISIONS

Carlos Ruiz is not in tonight's starting lineup, but manager Charlie Manuel said it's just a day off.

"I don't want Chooch to get tired or break down," he said. "He wanted to play. I figured it was time to do that. In some ways, I didn't want to do it."

The Braves were originally supposed to have right-hander Tim Hudson starting tonight's game, and Ryan Howard was in the lineup. Atlanta made a change a few hours before the game and opted to go with lefty Paul Maholm. Manuel did not make a change to his lineup and said even when Maholm was slated to be Saturday's starter, Howard was going to start.

There has been speculation that with the limited games lately Howard has played against lefties, that he's becoming a platoon player. Manuel put the nix on that.

"I don't look at Ryan Howard as a platoon player yet," Manuel said. "I think he can still hit and still get going. His knee does bother him. If we're going to rest him against somebody, it should be against a lefty. But at the same time, it doesn't mean he is a platoon player yet."

DINGERS: Amaro said Roy Halladay has started throwing from 75 feet. ... Dom Brown said he's still unsure if he would participate in the Home Run Derby if he were invited.